Weekly Retro

Weekly Retro

Part of the Personal Corp framework — running a one-person business through AI agents.

Structured weekly retrospective. Gather facts from code and project management tools, interview the founder, capture findings into issues and canonical files.

Setup

Before first use, define these in your project's CLAUDE.md:

## Weekly Retro Config

### Repos to scan
List all repos the agent should check for commits:
- ~/Projects/main-app
- ~/Projects/marketing-site
- ~/Projects/docs

### GitHub owner
Your GitHub username or org for issue search:
- owner: your-github-handle

### GitHub Project ID
Project board where retro issues land:
- project_id: 7

### Canonical files (single source of truth)
Files that hold authoritative data — agent must check these before writing numbers:
- data.md — prices, revenue, historical totals
- product.md — current offers
- insights.md — strategic conclusions

### Retro log path
Where retro artifacts are saved. Two files per retro live here:
- `WNN.md` — interview log + final summary
- `WNN-outcomes.md` — outcomes scorecard (planned outcomes vs evidence)

Example:
- retro_log_path: docs/retro/

### Task routing
Map task types to repos so issues land in the right place:
| Type | Repo |
|------|------|
| Backend bugs | main-app |
| Marketing | marketing-site |
| Strategy, cross-cutting | project-brain |

### Interview topics (customize to your business)
Ordered list of areas to cover:
1. Product delivery
2. Sales / pipeline
3. Calendar events
4. New initiatives
5. Research / strategy
6. Open question

No separate init skill needed — this section is the setup. Copy the config block above into your CLAUDE.md, fill in your values, and the skill is ready.

Two modes — never mix

Retro = looking back. Planning = looking forward. Finish the retro completely, output the backlog, THEN plan.

If the founder wants to switch to planning before retro is done: "OK, N topics still uncovered: [list]. Skip or quick pass? After that — planning." Give the choice, don't switch silently.

Iron Rules

digraph rules {
    rankdir=LR;
    "Calendar event" -> "ASK what it is" [label="don't assume"];
    "Want to create issue" -> "VERIFY: gh + ls + git" [label="first"];
    "Learned a fact" -> "WRITE immediately" [label="canonical/issue"];
    "Want to recommend" -> "Finish gathering facts" [label="not before Phase 4"];
    "Numbers diverge" -> "Show divergence" [label="don't write silently"];
}

1. ASK don't ASSUME — Calendar says "Meeting (Name)"? Does NOT mean you know what it was. Ask.
2. VERIFY before CREATE — Check for duplicates (gh issue list --search) + clarify scope. If fact is NEW and no issue exists — ask the founder: "Is this a task? What exactly should be done, in which repo?" Not every mention = issue.
3. SAVE immediately — Learned a fact? Edit/Write right now. "Noted" without writing = not noted.
4. NO FABRICATION — Don't invent numbers. Not in canonical files or live stats? Don't write it.
5. INTERVIEW FIRST — Data from git/issues is NOT sufficient. The founder knows context that is written nowhere.
6. One question at a time — One topic, answer, write it down, next.
7. CONFLICT RESOLUTION — If the founder states a number different from canonical source, show the divergence: "data.md says 25, you say 30. Which is correct?" Write only after resolution.
8. PHASE DISCIPLINE — Phase 2 (interview) writes ONLY to the retro log file ($RETRO_LOG_PATH/WNN.md). Do NOT create issues, do NOT edit canonical files, do NOT touch CRM/contact cards in Phase 2. All canonical mutations are Phase 6 batch. All new issues are Phase 5 batch after explicit founder approve.
9. OUTCOMES SCORECARD REQUIRED — Before Phase 2, read $RETRO_LOG_PATH/WNN-outcomes.md (written by the planning skill at the start of the week). Fill Status for each outcome via fast subagent (evidence from issues / calendar / canonical files). If the file does not exist — ask founder to reconstruct or skip explicitly, do not silently go into free interview.
10. WEEK ENDS WITH ZERO OPEN WNN ITEMS — The retro is not closed until every open issue labeled with the closing week (retro:WNN or WNN) gets a terminal decision: close / drop / promote (to epic) / spillover (with explicit causal reason). "Leave it hanging" is NOT a terminal decision. See Phase 5.5.
11. NO STALE ROLLOVER — An item cannot spillover for a 3rd consecutive week. If an issue carries retro:W{N-2} + retro:W{N-1} and the founder wants another spillover into W{N+1} → STOP. Reformulate as close / drop / promote-to-epic. A re-label is not allowed.

Numbers trust hierarchy

Phase 1: Gather Data (before interview, automatic)

Step 0 — create the retro log file immediately. Before any data gathering, create $RETRO_LOG_PATH/WNN.md (where NN is the closing week). All subsequent writes during the interview land in this single file — not scattered notes, not memory.

All gathering in parallel:

# 1. Git commits across all repos (use repos from your CLAUDE.md config)
for repo in $YOUR_REPOS; do
  echo "=== $repo ==="
  cd $repo 2>/dev/null && git log --oneline --after="YYYY-MM-DD" --before="YYYY-MM-DD" | head -10
  cd -
done

# 2. GitHub issues closed + updated
gh search issues --owner $YOUR_OWNER --updated "YYYY-MM-DD..YYYY-MM-DD" --json repository,number,title,state

# 3. Open issues on main project board
gh issue list -R $YOUR_OWNER/$YOUR_MAIN_REPO --state open --json number,title --limit 30

# 4. Previous retro carry-over (all open retro:W* labels, not only retro:W{N-1})
gh search issues --owner $YOUR_OWNER --state open --json repository,number,title,labels,createdAt \
  --jq '[.[] | select(.labels[].name | startswith("retro:W")) | {repo: .repository.nameWithOwner, n: .number, title, labels: [.labels[].name | select(startswith("retro:W"))], created: .createdAt}]'

Show summary to the user. Ask for a calendar screenshot (if they don't provide one — work with git/issues, don't insist).

Previous retro carry-over + aging

Group carry-over items by oldest retro:W* label. Column "weeks open" = current_week − min(retro:W labels).

### Carry-over by age
| Issue | Repo | Title | Open for | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #157 | main-app | feature X follow-up | 1 week  | retro:W{N-1} |
| #48  | crm      | client Y invoice    | 2 weeks | retro:W{N-2}, retro:W{N-1} |
| #1   | legal    | tax registration    | 4 weeks | retro:W{N-4}…W{N-1} |

**Stale-warning:** N issues open 2+ weeks. Phase 5.5 will resolve these to terminal decisions before creating the W{N+1} backlog.

This list feeds directly into Phase 5.5.

Phase 1.5: Outcomes scorecard (planned vs actual) — REQUIRED before Phase 2

Without this phase the retro becomes a free conversation about "what happened" instead of an honest check of "what was promised." Outcomes are the only formal link between planning and retro.

Action

1. Read $RETRO_LOG_PATH/WNN-outcomes.md (written by the planning skill at the start of week NN).

2. If the file does not exist → STOP and tell the founder explicitly: "Outcomes for WNN were not recorded at planning time — retro will run without plan/fact comparison. Reconstruct retroactively from last week's notes, or skip the scorecard?". Do not silently skip.

3. For each outcome row (O1..ON) gather evidence in parallel via fast subagents:

   • Issues in the row's Issues column: gh issue view <N> -R <repo> — open/closed + last comment
   • Calendar events: query Google Calendar by date
   • Artifacts: find / git log --grep / canonical-file inspection
   • Communications: relationship-context query (if integration exists)

4. Fill the Status column in the same file:

5. Output to founder as a separate block in Phase 1 summary:

## Outcomes scorecard WNN

| ID | Outcome | Status | Evidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O1 | <outcome>     | done       | <issue#> closed, artifact at <path> | — |
| O2 | <outcome>     | partial    | issue closed but Q&A ran long       | bonus 30 min |
| O5 | <outcome>     | miss       | issue still open, 0 broadcasts sent | — |
| O8 | <outcome>     | spillover  | re-labeled retro:W{N+1}             | overdue 3 weeks |

**Summary:** 5 done · 1 partial · 1 miss · 1 spillover · 0 dropped (of 8 outcomes)
**Hit rate:** 62% (5/8 done)

6. Only miss / partial / spillover rows become Phase 2 interview topics — founder explains why. Done rows are already proven by evidence; don't spend founder time relitigating them.

Anti-patterns

• Did not open the outcomes file → Phase 2 turns into free discussion. Founder loses honest plan-vs-fact accountability.
• Filled Status without evidence → "done" set on memory alone, false-positive risk. Every "done" requires an evidence row.
• Skipped Phase 1.5 because "it's obvious" → STOP. If the outcomes file exists, reading and filling Status is not optional.

When outcomes file is missing

Possible causes:

• WNN was the first week using this process (no precedent)
• Founder skipped the planning skill's outcomes-write step
• File was lost / mis-pathed

Action:

1. Tell founder explicitly: "No outcomes recorded for WNN. Options: (a) reconstruct retroactively from the prior week's retro summary + current tasks file, (b) skip scorecard and go into open interview."
2. If (a) — mark the reconstructed file with **Reconstructed:** YYYY-MM-DD (no original plan) in its header. Reconstructed outcomes are baseline only — not as reliable as planned ones (selection bias).
3. Fix the cycle going forward: the planning skill must write the outcomes file at the start of next week.

Phase 2: Interview (core of retro)

digraph interview {
    "Show data" -> "Ask about topic";
    "Ask about topic" -> "Answer unclear" -> "Clarify" -> "Ask about topic";
    "Ask about topic" -> "Answer clear" -> "WRITE immediately";
    "Ask about topic" -> "Multi-topic answer" -> "Batch save + list back" -> "Continue with most important topic";
    "WRITE immediately" -> "Issue?" [shape=diamond];
    "Issue?" -> "VERIFY then CREATE" [label="yes"];
    "Issue?" -> "Next topic" [label="no"];
    "VERIFY then CREATE" -> "Next topic";
    "Next topic" -> "Ask about topic" [label="more"];
    "Next topic" -> "Phase 3" [label="done"];
}

Multi-topic response protocol

When the answer covers multiple topics: (1) WRITE each fact immediately (batch is OK), (2) list back to founder: "Saved: X, Y, Z — correct?", (3) continue with the most important uncovered topic, (4) return to skipped items from interview order later.

Interview order

Use the topics from your CLAUDE.md config. Default order:

1. Product delivery — what shipped, how it went, what to improve
2. Sales / pipeline — numbers, conversions, new leads
3. Calendar events — ask "what was this?" for EACH unclear entry
4. New initiatives — what started, why, current status
5. Research / strategy — what led to decisions, what's shelved
6. What we didn't cover — open question

Verify checklist (BEFORE each issue)

# Check for duplicate issues
gh issue list -R $YOUR_OWNER/$REPO --search "{keywords}" --state all

Where to write during interview

Phase 3: Advisory analysis (optional)

Offer if retro surfaces 3+ unresolved risks or founder asks.

3 sub-agents in parallel:

• Strategist — patterns, risks, missed opportunities
• Operations — processes, automation, broken triggers
• Growth — funnel, conversion, missed revenue with numbers

Phase 4: Compile summary

The summary is written to the same $RETRO_LOG_PATH/WNN.md that has been collecting interview notes since Phase 1. Append the summary section at the top or bottom of that file — do not create a separate file.

## Retro WNN (dates)

### Outcomes scorecard
[copy the table from $RETRO_LOG_PATH/WNN-outcomes.md Status section + hit rate %]

### Done
- ...

### In progress
- ...

### Not touched
- ...

### Carry-over (from previous retro)
- [open items from retro:W{N-1}]

### Lessons -> system updates
| Lesson | What was updated |

If you have 4+ retros with outcomes scorecards, add a trend row below the table:

Hit-rate trend: W{N-3} 70% / W{N-2} 62% / W{N-1} 81% / WNN 75%

This gives the founder visibility on whether the process is improving or degrading.

Phase 5: Create retro backlog

Issues go to the CORRECT repos (per task routing in your config):

# Create retro label
gh label create "retro:WNN" -R $YOUR_OWNER/$REPO --color "D4C5F9"

# Each issue -> correct repo + label + project board
gh issue create -R $YOUR_OWNER/$REPO -t "..." -b "..." -a $YOUR_OWNER --label "retro:WNN"
gh project item-add $YOUR_PROJECT_ID --owner $YOUR_OWNER --url {url}

Final table:

### Backlog retro:WNN
| # | Repo | Task |

Filter: `gh search issues --owner $YOUR_OWNER --label "retro:WNN" --state open`

Phase 5.5: Triage to zero — every open WNN item gets a terminal decision

Goal: by end of retro, zero open issues carrying the retro:WNN label of the closing week. Iron Rule 10.

Trigger: runs after Phase 5 (new backlog created). The skill does NOT proceed to Phase 6 until this step completes.

Action

1. Collect all open issues with retro:WNN cross-repo:

gh search issues --owner $YOUR_OWNER --label "retro:WNN" --state open \
  --json repository,number,title,labels,createdAt,assignees

2. For each issue, a fast subagent gathers status evidence in parallel (5-10 issues per batch): what shipped, what didn't, last commit/comment, any blocker.

3. Present a triage table to the founder with a proposed terminal decision per row:

### Phase 5.5 — Triage open WNN

| # | Repo | Title | Evidence | Propose | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 157 | main-app | feature X follow-up | 0 commits in 5 days, scope obsolete | **drop** | initiative cancelled |
| 22  | crm      | client Y sync       | meeting on 02.05, notes saved      | **close** | done — evidence at crm/.../notes.md |
| 48  | legal    | tax registration    | open 4 retros, blocker = external party | **promote** | not weekly-scope, becomes epic |
| 99  | docs     | guide draft         | active work, deadline in 5 days    | **spillover → W{N+1}** | normal in-flight |

**Stale-rollover check (Iron Rule 11):** N issues already spilled over 2+ times — for these spillover is FORBIDDEN; choose close/drop/promote only.

4. Founder approves decisions per row (batch is fine: "all as proposed except #99"). Execute per row:

5. Verify after batch: gh search issues --owner $YOUR_OWNER --label "retro:WNN" --state open → must return 0 results. If not — STOP, do not proceed to Phase 6.

Red flags

• Founder says "leave it hanging, I'll deal with it later" → STOP. "Later" = silent rollover, which is exactly what created the current backlog. Only 4 terminal decisions are allowed. If the founder genuinely can't choose now, default to spillover with the reason "founder requested defer" + auto-add to next week's outcomes file (so it comes back in Phase 1.5 next retro as accountability).
• Spillover without a reason → STOP. The reason is the blocker. Without it the item drifts forever.
• Skill tries to enter Phase 6 while gh search ... --state open ≠ 0 → STOP, return to Phase 5.5.
• A stale-rollover (3rd spillover) is being proposed to founder → STOP. Reformulate as close/drop/promote-to-epic — don't offer "spillover" as an option.

Phase 6: Canonical updates + Wrap-up

1. Retro summary stays in $RETRO_LOG_PATH/WNN.md (same file that's been collecting Phase 1-5 notes; do not move to an archive directory).
2. Outcomes scorecard stays in $RETRO_LOG_PATH/WNN-outcomes.md with final Status column filled.
3. Canonical updates (batch — only here, never in Phase 2):
   • Insights / strategy file — new lessons of the week + caveats on hypotheses
   • Numbers / data file — fresh snapshots if anything changed
   • Roadmap / focus file — money-list, dropped tracks, new criticals
   • CLAUDE.md — new architectural rules surfaced by retro
4. Show diff of all changed canonical files
5. Ask: "Commit changes?" (do NOT commit automatically)
6. If yes, one atomic commit per repo: docs: weekly retro WNN
7. Do NOT push without explicit request

Red Flags — STOP

• Creating issue without gh issue list --search first -> STOP, check for duplicates
• Writing a number without source (canonical file, live stats) -> STOP, remove it
• Assuming what a calendar event was -> STOP, ask
• Giving recommendations before interview is done -> STOP, gather facts first
• Saying "noted" without Edit/Write -> STOP, actually write it
• Founder wants to switch to planning -> STOP, list uncovered topics, give the choice
• Founder's numbers diverge from canonical -> STOP, show divergence, ask
• Entering Phase 2 without reading $RETRO_LOG_PATH/WNN-outcomes.md -> STOP, Phase 1.5 is mandatory
• Filling a done Status without evidence -> STOP, every done needs an issue closed / artifact found / payment confirmed via subagent
• Phase 2 discussing done outcomes -> STOP, founder time wasted; jump to miss / partial / spillover rows
• Creating issues or editing canonical files in Phase 2 -> STOP, copy into the retro log, batch in Phase 5/6
• Trying to enter Phase 6 while open retro:WNN issues remain -> STOP, return to Phase 5.5
• Proposing a 3rd consecutive spillover for an issue -> STOP, reformulate as close / drop / promote-to-epic

Common Rationalizations